25 février 2012

Funeral procession for Talat Ramia, 25, who died on Friday after he was shot by
Israeli forces at a protest near Qalandiya checkpoint. (MaanImages)

RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- Twelve Palestinians were injured Saturday in clashes in al-Ram, northern Jerusalem, following the funeral of a Palestinian killed Friday by Israeli fire in the occupied West Bank.

Talat Ramia, 25, died in surgery late Friday after Israeli soldiers shot him in the chest with live fire at a protest. Israel's army says the protester had fired fireworks at the soldiers.

The clashes following Ramia's funeral were near the eastern entrance to al-Ram. Heavily armed soldiers had arrived some two hours before the procession arrived, a Ma'an reporter said.

The soldiers fired tear gas canisters heavily at the protesters as well as rubber-coated bullets at young men who threw stones from a distance far from the rest of the crowd, the reporter said.

In a note addressed to the mourners on her Twitter account, Israeli army spokeswoman Avital Leibovich said: "Dear rioters ... it's a gorgeous day. Why not make the most of it rather than hurl rocks and try to injure (Israeli) security?"

The prime minister in Ramallah, meanwhile, denounced Israel's "resort to force" against non-violent protests in the West Bank, saying he held the Israeli government "completely responsible" for the incident.

“We have already warned all components of the international community, especially the international Quartet, on several occasions of the dangers of maintaining silence while Israel’s violence continues against non-violent protests our people carry out,” he said.

"While the international community and the Quartet issues statements only, the killing of Palestinians, settlement expansion, land confiscation, house demolitions and settler terrorism among other violations of international law seem to continue."